On Friday, June 20, after a four hour trailer ride, the MSSPA welcomed six Friesians who had endured a lifetime of unthinkable conditions at a breeding facility in Vermont.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. In fact, it’s part of a tragic pattern that has unfolded over the past two years at this same facility, where horses have suffered extreme, prolonged neglect.

Two more Friesians from the same case will arrive at the MSSPA soon.

News coverage from Vermont has shown emaciated horses with untreated wounds, skin conditions, parasites, and overgrown hooves. Last September, 20 horses were seized from the same property. That day, rescues across New England answered the call, just as we did. Seven of those horses came to the MSSPA. One sadly succumbed to his health issues, but the others are making a slow, steady recovery under our care.

And now, it has happened again.